My case in point is one Scott Walker, a player for the Carolina Hurricanes. And on Sunday, Mr. Walker and his mates were playing a team known as the Boston Bruins in Game Five of their little Stanley Cup playoff series. And there was a little action, and before you know, Walker sucker punched Boston's Aaron Ward, drawing an instigator penalty and an automatic one-game suspension.
But this is the NHL we're talking about. And in the NHL, the word "automatic" doesn't quite mean "automatic" because league officials decided to change the punishment from an automatic one game suspension to a $2500 fine.
Now I really shouldn't be surprised by this turn of events. After all, it's not like Scott Walker insulted Elisha Cuthbert. After all, if you call Elisha Cuthbert "sloppy seconds" you get a six game suspension. But as the NHL showed earlier this season, you can bite an opponent's thumb and get only a two game suspension. Or you can shove a linesman and get a three game suspension. Or blindside an opponent with an elbow and get only four games. But insult Elisha Cuthbert, you get six games.
So why should sucker punching a guy in the face be any different?
I'm not defending Sean Avery's actions in the Elisha Cuthbert incident. But the priorities of the NHL just continue to amaze me. There have been multiple incidents of players receiving possibly severe injuries yet the NHL feels those incidents warrant less punishment than insulting a mediocre (yet beautiful) actress who has this thing for dating hockey players.
Really, maybe it's just time the NHL junk all of the punishment rules in the book and just say that anything not involving the insulting of Elisha Cuthbert will result in a less than six game suspension. And since the league doesn't quite understand the meaning of "automatic," then maybe it should just remove that word from the rule book as well.
I now return you to our regularly scheduled bitching about the Houston Aeros.
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4 comments:
Indeed the punishment in this case makes NO sense. Ward clearly didn't want to fight. Why would he? Boston is down 3 games to 1 and the Bruins are up 4-0 in the game. Why fight? Why let the opponent back into the game. Ward clearly kept his hands down and was completely sucker punched. So much for protecting a player and so much for protecting the head. Ward was also already engaged with Cullen.
The NHL has created another perfect storm for a repeated Todd Bertuzzi/Steve Moore incident. While I hope that does not happen the NHL has to be a little more intelligent about these things.
The most moronic thing to me was the comments from the Hurricanes coach, Paul Maurice -- "Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice laughed off the possible repercussions.
"Scott probably has sore knuckles," he said.
Asked whether there will be a fine, he added: "I may have to sell my truck.""
If you're going to cite the wording of the rule book then you should also be fair and recite the rest of the rule that says the automatic suspension may be reviewed and rescinded.
Scott Walker officially claimed that Aaron Ward verbally engaged the fight. I haven't seen much press out of the Bruins locker room contradicting that statement.
If you say, "let's go" there is no rule that says the other guy has to wait while you tape up your wrists, check your mouth protection and get in a ready fight position.
Don't forget the automatic suspension and fines are for the instigator in the last 5 minutes, not because he was or wasn't sucker punched.
The refs on the ice felt he was the instigator.
AiH. Your correct, but I was trying to make some other points. A. it's stupid to say that a penalty is "automatic" if it is not "automatic." And B., the NHL penalty leveling system in that I think guys who set out to physically harm another player deserve more punishment than a guy who insults his ex-girlfriend.
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